Italy captain Fabio Cannavaro awaits ruling after failing doping test
By APFriday, October 9, 2009
Cannavaro awaits ruling after positive doping test
ROME — Italy captain Fabio Cannavaro is awaiting a decision on whether he will be punished for failing a doping test, allegedly for cortisone used to treat a bee sting.
Ettore Torri, anti-doping prosecutor for the Italian Olympic Committee, held a hearing with Cannavaro and Juventus medical director Bartolomeo Goitre in Turin on Thursday, hours after the positive test was made public.
Cortisone can be administered for therapy if authorization is granted. It was unclear if Juventus received permission from CONI.
Cannavaro, who helped Italy win the World Cup in Germany three years ago, already was suspended for the country’s qualifier with Ireland on Saturday because of yellow cards. He was expected to join the team Sunday to begin training for Wednesday’s game against Cyprus.
“I haven’t heard from Fabio but there was no need to,” Italy coach Marcello Lippi told the ANSA news agency. “It all calmed down in two hours. Will he be with us Sunday? Yes, certainly.”
Cannavaro had a cortisone injection Aug. 29 to prevent an allergic reaction. He apparently tested positive a day later after Juventus’ game with AS Roma, although CONI has not provided details.
Cannavaro then joined Italy’s team for World Cup qualifiers with Georgia and Bulgaria, and the national squad’s staff said it was informed of the injection.
National team physician Enrico Castellacci said the case was purely “bureaucratic.”
“For us there was never a case,” he told Gazzetta dello Sport. “(Juventus) told us everything that happened and said that without that cortisone medicine he would have had an (allergic) reaction.”
